I am fortunate enough to have both a strong background in geology and a testimony of revealed religion. The two diverse backgrounds do not conflict ...

God, by whatever name, is an eternal being. He is not measured by time, nor is He limited by it. The Judeo-Christian doctrine tells us that Adam and his wife Eve chose to leave the garden and to become mortal beings governed by time. We are their descendants, and are subjet to time.

Genesis' description of the creation talks about events that occurred during eternity, before Adam and Eve chose to leave the garden. The author tries to describe eternity in terms that men and women can understand. However, God has no such limitation and does whatever he decides, in whatever sequence he prefers. Eternity is one great summation of events, not a series of events ...

I remember getting my M.A. in 1966 with a complete knowledge that continents were fixed in place, having been told that by some very respected teachers at Stanford and UcLA. They were wrong, but that doesn't change the fact that they were good men and women. The author of Genesis ma also have gotten some details rong, but that's because he was a good man who tried to explain the eternities to time-governed men.

By the way, I have learned a much different definition of faith from one EXPLORER lettter writer: Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things. If I know something I have no cause to believe it, for I know it. When I have faith I hope for things that are not seen, which are true. A little bit like a geophysicist.

Gary F. Player
Cedar City, Utah